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Oncology and hematology

2,498 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 84

Conditions and diseases

Breast cancer transforms a doctor in training to patient in an instant

6

by Jessica Tekla Les, MD During my third year of medical school I was performing a routine breast exam, more for practice than anything else. I was trying the concentric-circles-around-the-nipple technique, one of several I'd been taught. About halfway through…

by Jessica Tekla Les, MD

During my third year of medical school I was performing a routine breast exam, more for practice than anything else. I was trying the concentric-circles-around-the-nipple technique, one of several I’d been taught. About halfway through the right breast I found a lima-bean-sized lump, not far from the breastbone. I took liberties with this particular exam. I poked the lump, tried to …

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Breast cancer transforms a doctor in training to patient in an instant

Conditions and diseases

How to create your medical family tree

The holidays are a great opportunity to ask family members about their health history. Learning about your family’s health history can help you answer your doctor’s medical history questions. It can even help your doctor determine if you may be…

The holidays are a great opportunity to ask family members about their health history.

Learning about your family’s health history can help you answer your doctor’s medical history questions. It can even help your doctor determine if you may be at risk for an inherited cancer like breast, colorectal, ovarian, prostate or endometrial cancer, which sometimes run in the family.

Keep in mind that just a small portion of cancers – about 5 …

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How to create your medical family tree

Conditions and diseases

Neoplastic epidural spinal cord compression is an oncologic emergency

There are very few oncologic emergencies. Neoplastic epidural spinal cord compression is one of them. The delay in diagnosis and treatment is often explained by the non-specific nature of the presenting signs and symptoms. The patient developed urinary retention a…

There are very few oncologic emergencies. Neoplastic epidural spinal cord compression is one of them. The delay in diagnosis and treatment is often explained by the non-specific nature of the presenting signs and symptoms.

The patient developed urinary retention a couple of weeks prior to presentation. On the morning of admission he was fully functional. Later he sat down to have a cup of coffee and boom – he couldn’t feel …

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Neoplastic epidural spinal cord compression is an oncologic emergency

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Conditions and diseases

Coping with frightening circumstances after a cancer diagnosis

For myself I am an optimist — it does not seem to be much use being anything else. -Winston Churchill Even before I met him, I could tell that his cancer was extensive. His problems had started several months before…

For myself I am an optimist — it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
-Winston Churchill

Even before I met him, I could tell that his cancer was extensive. His problems had started several months before with a cough, a voice change, and some trouble swallowing. His primary doctor had not spotted anything but had kept an eye on him. Antibiotics and cough medicine had not helped. After …

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Coping with frightening circumstances after a cancer diagnosis

Conditions and diseases

How much breast cancer chews up your schedule

5

Whether you’re newly diagnosed with DCIS or a more advanced form of breast cancer, you’ll notice it has a big time impact. One of the things that surprised me was just how much breast cancer chews up your schedule. I…

Whether you’re newly diagnosed with DCIS or a more advanced form of breast cancer, you’ll notice it has a big time impact. One of the things that surprised me was just how much breast cancer chews up your schedule. I had something like 38 appointments in 20 weeks, and this did not include radiation, which was not in my treatment plan.

In case you’re wondering what all those appointments were for, I had two …

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How much breast cancer chews up your schedule

Conditions and diseases

Screening for lung cancer with a CT scan: What the NLST results mean

10

Lung cancer screening has been an area of considerable controversy. Before today, there had been no evidence that screening patients for lung cancer, either with a CT scan or chest x-ray, saved lives. For years, doctors have been waiting for…

Lung cancer screening has been an area of considerable controversy.  Before today, there had been no evidence that screening patients for lung cancer, either with a CT scan or chest x-ray, saved lives.

For years, doctors have been waiting for the results of the large, randomized National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), conducted by the National Cancer Institute.

This morning, it was announced that the trial was stopped early, with a …

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Screening for lung cancer with a CT scan: What the NLST results mean

Patient voices

What would you do if you had a year left to live?

7

Though I’ve spoken about breast cancer for Susan G. Komen for the Cure (emphasizing the importance of early screening and detection), until recently I had never had a mammogram. In my training I’d been taught that mammograms weren’t that accurate…

Though I’ve spoken about breast cancer for Susan G. Komen for the Cure (emphasizing the importance of early screening and detection), until recently I had never had a mammogram. In my training I’d been taught that mammograms weren’t that accurate or useful in women under 40 (our health system’s protocols reflect that), so I got regularly checked by my physician whenever I had a physical and otherwise was waiting until …

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What would you do if you had a year left to live?

Conditions and diseases

Breast cancer and understanding your breast type

3

What does your breast type say about your cancer risk? Quite a bit, actually. Whether you have large, small or lumpy breasts, self-awareness is very important. Getting to know how your breasts look and feel can help you recognize possible…

What does your breast type say about your cancer risk? Quite a bit, actually.

Whether you have large, small or lumpy breasts, self-awareness is very important. Getting to know how your breasts look and feel can help you recognize possible red flags.

Large vs. small breasts

When it comes to cancer risk, size really doesn’t matter. But, size can affect your mammogram and clinical breast exam.

For example, women with large breasts may need …

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Breast cancer and understanding your breast type

Conditions and diseases

Watchful waiting is underutilized for most men with prostate cancer

NPR has a great blog on their website called Shots about current events in health care. Recently, Scott Hensley, the main blogger there, posted a recent article on treatment of prostate cancer from the Archives of Internal Medicine. If you…

NPR has a great blog on their website called Shots about current events in health care. Recently, Scott Hensley, the main blogger there, posted a recent article on treatment of prostate cancer from the Archives of Internal Medicine.

If you look at the article, you may notice a very small subheading above the article’s title. It reads “Less is More.”

Very telling.

The thrust of the article …

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Watchful waiting is underutilized for most men with prostate cancer

Conditions and diseases

10 good things that can happen from cancer

5

The following list is from a cancer survivor, Judy Engibous, posted on Hester Hill Schnipper’s blog Living with Breast Cancer. We first published it back in March of 2009 but are “reloading” it in recognition of Showtimes' The Big C…

The following list is from a cancer survivor, Judy Engibous, posted on Hester Hill Schnipper’s blog Living with Breast Cancer.

We first published it back in March of 2009 but are “reloading” it in recognition of Showtimes’ The Big C starring Laura Linney. We were wondering if the story could be considered an example of “Participatory Medicine” with Linney’s character being an “e-patient.”

10. Being able to shamelessly make fun of smokers. …

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10 good things that can happen from cancer

Conditions and diseases

Patients and physicians should screen for cancer, but cautiously

6

To screen or not to screen? That is not the question. The question is not whether to screen, it is why, what, where, when, how, and how much, how often, and at what cost for what benefit. Patients and physicians…

To screen or not to screen? That is not the question.

The question is not whether to screen, it is why, what, where, when, how, and how much, how often, and at what cost for what benefit.

Patients and physicians must and do screen. The issue is cautious appropriateness. Self-screening by patients is easy, free, and fundamentally harmless. Look at your skin for potential melanomas, be alert to warning symptoms of a …

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Patients and physicians should screen for cancer, but cautiously

Conditions and diseases

Catherine Zeta-Jones blames doctors for Michael Douglas’ throat cancer

42

Why is Catherine Zeta-Jones so mad? It’s a facetious question. Her husband, Michael Douglas, was recently diagnosed with throat cancer he described at “stage 4.” She was quoted by People magazine as saying, “It makes me furious they didn’t detect…

Why is Catherine Zeta-Jones so mad?

It’s a facetious question. Her husband, Michael Douglas, was recently diagnosed with throat cancer he described at “stage 4.”

She was quoted by People magazine as saying, “It makes me furious they didn’t detect it earlier.” They have young children, and anyone who hasn’t personally been faced with this threat can only imagine her fear and anxiety. I suspect no number of large houses, expensive cars, …

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Catherine Zeta-Jones blames doctors for Michael Douglas’ throat cancer

Conditions and diseases

Pfizer spending money to train journalists in how to cover cancer

The National Press Foundation is sponsoring a four-day, all expenses paid trip to Washington for 15 reporters to learn how to improve their coverage of cancer issues. Pfizer is funding the seminar. Former University of Minnesota journalism professor Gary Schwitzer…

The National Press Foundation is sponsoring a four-day, all expenses paid trip to Washington for 15 reporters to learn how to improve their coverage of cancer issues. Pfizer is funding the seminar.

Former University of Minnesota journalism professor Gary Schwitzer writes:

Even if National Press Foundation staff choose the speakers and set the agenda, even if the Pfizer “guy never even showed up” last year, even if one reporter doesn’t recall Pfizer

…

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Pfizer spending money to train journalists in how to cover cancer

Conditions and diseases

Cake with a terminal cancer patient

10

A fellow physician called me with a consult this afternoon. He described the case as a 60 year old who had stridor (difficulty breathing) for the past week and was admitted to the hospital recently. A CT scan showed lymph…

A fellow physician called me with a consult this afternoon.

He described the case as a 60 year old who had stridor (difficulty breathing) for the past week and was admitted to the hospital recently. A CT scan showed lymph nodes in his neck which was compressing the trachea, and other scans didn’t show much better. A biopsy was done but the final results were pending. It was …

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Cake with a terminal cancer patient

Conditions and diseases

Cycling helps this patient with a sarcoma

Jennifer Goodman Linn, 39, has been through five surgeries and six rounds of chemotherapy since 2004, trying to control the sarcoma that keeps growing in her abdomen. Goodman Linn has what her doctors call a rare form of a rare…

Jennifer Goodman Linn, 39, has been through five surgeries and six rounds of chemotherapy since 2004, trying to control the sarcoma that keeps growing in her abdomen.

Goodman Linn has what her doctors call a rare form of a rare cancer — an MFH sarcoma, also known as an undifferentiated high grade pleiomorphic sarcoma. It’s remained confined to her retroperitoneal area, but,

…

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Cycling helps this patient with a sarcoma

Conditions and diseases

Marginal treatments at a high emotional cost from families

8

My father passed away about two weeks ago after battling a brain tumor for some time. Initially diagnosed with an extensive inoperable mass one and one-half years ago, upon presenting with a focal seizure, he did well with only one…

My father passed away about two weeks ago after battling a brain tumor for some time.

Initially diagnosed with an extensive inoperable mass one and one-half years ago, upon presenting with a focal seizure, he did well with only one medication for seizure control for about ten months. Around Christmas of 2009, however, he landed in the hospital in status epilepticus that took three days to control. After these days of …

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Marginal treatments at a high emotional cost from families

Conditions and diseases

When patients are willing to share their stories

We say we exchange words when we meet. What we exchange is souls. -Minot J. Savage It was Monday evening. The shelves in the electronics department overflowed with different styles, prices, and brands of headphones, all displayed in sealed plastic…

We say we exchange words when we meet. What we exchange is souls.
-Minot J. Savage

It was Monday evening. The shelves in the electronics department overflowed with different styles, prices, and brands of headphones, all displayed in sealed plastic cases. I was in the mood to buy but was baffled by the array of options in front of me. This was not going to be as simple as I had thought.

A young …

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When patients are willing to share their stories

Conditions and diseases

How you can avoid skin cancer risk

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in the United States. There are three major types: basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma. Of those, basal cell and squamous cell are most common, accounting for about 3.5 million…

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in the United States.

There are three major types: basal cell, squamous cell and melanoma. Of those, basal cell and squamous cell are most common, accounting for about 3.5 million cases in the United States per year. Although, these types typically do not metastasize, they can be quite disfiguring, particularly after resection when they occur on the face. On a population …

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How you can avoid skin cancer risk

Conditions and diseases

10 cancer signs women shouldn’t ignore

2

If you’re relatively young and healthy, gynecologic cancers probably aren't on your radar. But they should be. This year, more than 80,000 women in the United States will get a gynecologic cancer, such as endometrial (a.k.a. uterine), ovarian or cervical…

If you’re relatively young and healthy, gynecologic cancers probably aren’t on your radar. But they should be.

This year, more than 80,000 women in the United States will get a gynecologic cancer, such as endometrial (a.k.a. uterine), ovarian or cervical cancer. In general, gynecologic cancers occur more frequently in women after menopause, although they can occur in younger women. While all women …

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10 cancer signs women shouldn’t ignore

Conditions and diseases

How can anyone deny scientifically sound treatment for breast cancer?

8

I just don’t understand how someone can live in this day and age and deny the effectiveness of scientifically sound medical treatment when dealing with breast cancer. I was completely flummoxed when I came across the in-depth and thoughtful post…

I just don’t understand how someone can live in this day and age and deny the effectiveness of scientifically sound medical treatment when dealing with breast cancer. I was completely flummoxed when I came across the in-depth and thoughtful post “A horrifying breast cancer ‘testimonial’ for ‘holistic’ treatment” on Respectful Insolence, written by a surgeon and scientist who uses the pen name Orac.

Like others who came before and surely will come after …

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How can anyone deny scientifically sound treatment for breast cancer?

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